Respected and admired; branch pilot Melvin Minors was a fine seaman as well as renowned mentor in Bermuda’s maritime world.

The 86-year-old St David’s Islander, who was laid to rest at the weekend, has been remembered by friends and colleagues as a great leader and man who was always the life and soul of the party.

He worked his way up through the ranks as a pilot for more than 40 years and helped bring in hundreds of ships through Bermuda’s dangerous reef system.

Former branch pilot Harold Millet had known Mr Minors for about 60 years and worked with him for more than 30 years.

He said: “Pilot Minors was a real jovial sort of person, but also widely respected by others in the profession.

“We were both raised in St David’s and his grandfather and his godfather were pilots too, so he was following in some pretty important footsteps.

“Communication was his strong suit, whether it was on land or at sea, he was excellent at communicating with people and he had a significant impact on many a young sailor’s career.

“Sailing and shipping was his passion. He will never be forgotten for his generosity and his laughter.”

As a young man Mr Minors joined the Canadian Navy before following in the footsteps of his grandfather Frederick Minors by becoming a branch pilot.

During his time as a pilot he worked on every kind of ship, from steam boats to state-of-the-art cruise liners as they arrived in Bermuda.

Former branch pilot David Darrell told The Royal Gazette: “Melvin was a branch pilot when I first started out in 1956 and he helped me a huge amount.

“He welcomed me into the job and I really appreciated how he treated me to begin with. Melvin was always great fun to be around and the life of the party.

“However when he was on the job he was professional and serious.

“He helped a lot of the young apprentices and he was a well-liked and greatly respected branch pilot.”

Branch pilot Michael Lightbourne added: “I worked as an apprentice under Pilot Minors and learnt a great deal from him during that time.

“Outside of work he was the life and soul of the party and the pilot service, but when he went to work it was different; he was commanding and made sure he got what he wanted as a pilot.

“As an apprentice I always looked forward to going to work with him, not just because of what he taught me, but because it was always fun to be around him.

“You could not go to work without having a good laugh when Pilot Minors was there, but he would always get the job done properly.”